20 years ago, when she was a stay-at-home mother of three young children, Margy Kaye started making toffee to give as gifts. The family, friends, and lucky school teachers who received the homemaker’s handmade candy always loved it. In 2004, realizing she had something deliciously unique to offer, she decided to turn her pastime into a profession. Kaye admits she had neither a business background nor any formal culinary training. But that didn’t stop her.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I loved playing around with recipes and working in the kitchen. With a lot of encouragement from my kids, who are all grown now, I took the next step, learning as I went.” Going at what she calls a “tortoise’s pace,” Kaye’s slowly grown the operation, moving from her home to a rented commercial kitchen, setting up a website for online sales, and getting her products into Chicago area gourmet shops.
The ingredients are few and simple. The creamy crunchy combination is crafted from butter, sugar, chocolate, and nuts. “It’s all about the quality of each ingredient. We use Plugra, a European style butter that’s very rich, Guittard chocolate- they’re the oldest chocolate company in the U.S., and roast our own almonds. Everything’s made fresh in small batches. We never stockpile product and hand dip each piece. These days, Kaye leaves the production to others and concentrates on sales and marketing.
How good is her toffee? “Well,” says the Confection Diva, “people tell me it’s dangerous to be left alone in a room with it. What I know is this- once I get somebody to take a taste the toffee sells itself.”
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